


You Never Know the Top 'Til You Get Too Low

by PepperSoniRoni



Series: Batfam Whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Damian Wayne Feels, Damian Wayne-centric, Gen, Good Sibling Duke Thomas, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Light Angst, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:33:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26804425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepperSoniRoni/pseuds/PepperSoniRoni
Summary: Rat's is in town and Bruce Babs Damian from going out on patrol with him. So of course Damian goes out with Duke instead. But when he gives his brother the slip, Damian finds himself in the deadly hands of his Grandfather. It takes Duke to save him.
Relationships: Duke Thomas & Damian Wayne
Series: Batfam Whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950187
Comments: 3
Kudos: 81
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	You Never Know the Top 'Til You Get Too Low

**Author's Note:**

> I love Duke, okay? And I love Duke and Damian's relationship! I want to dive into it more, as I'm not 100% happy with this, but I think it works for now. But not am I writing soft whump! Is this whump? Who knows.
> 
> Title from I'm So Sorry by Imagine Dragons
> 
> Tw: brief mention of blood, attempted murder (very light)

“I demand to be allowed out.” Damian announced, staring at Duke with the full force of his Baby Bat Glare™ (Jason’s words).

Duke frowned down at him. “Um, sure? But why?”

Damian sniffed. “As if I would tell you.” A moment later, he changed his mind. “But I suppose you are the most tolerable besides Grayson. Very well. My grandfather is in Gotham and Father refuses to allow me to patrol at night. I refuse to allow petty family squabbles get in the way of my Robin duties. He said nothing about the day.”

Duke blinked, looking down at the tiny assassin. “Doesn’t he mean patrol in general? Isn’t going out at all unsafe?”

Damian continued his glaring. “That is besides the point.”

Duke gave Damian a long look. “Why are you asking me? What makes you think I’ll go against Bruce. I’m the ‘good kid’ , remember?”

Damian snorted. “We both know that is not factual, Thomas. You enjoy going behind Father’s back just as much as the rest of us.”

Duke frowned. “Just … don’t get hurt, okay? We’ll go out for a few hours; nothing major. And you Stick. With. Me.”

Damian smirked. “Very well. When do we leave?”

*****

Oh, Damian had been so stupid. All he’d wanted was to prove to Father that he was still capable. That he wasn’t afraid of his Grandfather anymore. It didn’t matter that he was, and any bravado was faked. But he was proud. He thought his fears weren’t constituted.

He’d been wrong.

His first mistake was separating from Signal. Damian had given him the slip around the ninety minute mark (it was altogether too easy. He’d have to work with his brother on those skills. If he lived long enough, that is.) and continued on his regular patrol route.

It was then that the ninjas attacked him.

It was an ambush, he was in an alley taking care of an attempted robbery when the sky was blocked out by the dozens of black clothed figures descending from above. He’d managed to fend off a good third of them when he was overpowered and dragged to his grandfather. He’d managed to escape once, but had gotten a broken leg in reward.

So when he was shoved before his grandfather, bruised and bloody, Damian was scared. Grayson had promised he’d never be sent back to the league, and his mother wouldn’t take him back, so what did Ra’s want?

“Hello, grandson.” Ra’s said, looking at Damian like he was an animal in a zoo. “It’s been too long.”

Damian glared and spit at his once-family. He was dismayed to find his spittle bloody. Maybe he was hurt worse than he thought?

Ra’s sighed, “I’m disappointed? Is that all you have?”

Damian narrowed his eyes to slits. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Really? Not even after you and the young detective broke into and destroyed a prominent League Base?” Ra’s demanded, snapping forward with his words. 

Damian winced inwardly. He and Tim had gotten embrowled in a League plot a month back, which ended in explosions. It had actually been a good time, and Damian had enjoyed spending it with his brother. Now, however, he was regretting it.

Ra’s looked towards an assassin, and Damian was suddenly and harshly forced to his knees. He resisted the intense urge to scream out in pain - his left leg was broken after all - but held his tongue. Barely.

“I have allowed you to live even after you scorned the Al Ghul name, and left behind your legacy. You were nothing more than a minor pest in the corner of my vision. Now, however,” Ra’s paused, and drew a long ornate Katanna. He brought it down to Damian’s neck, one flick, and Robin died once again. “I will enjoy killing you.”

Damian blinked. No, no this couldn’t happen. He couldn’t die again. He couldn’t do that to his family. It had broken them. And Damian didn’t want to leave them. Grayson was a given, Damian had to admit he was the brother he was closest to. But also father. They had mended their relationship - with much cajoling from Pennyworth and Grayson. Damian had grown to appreciate Todd, who was wild and made Damian middleastern treats when he was homesick. Cain, who knew what he had gone through more than anyone, and offered quiet companionship unlike the others. Drake, who despite Damian’s initial hatred, he had grown to adore. Perhaps more than Grayson. Brown, who had made it her mission to give Damian a childhood, one ice cream parlor or arcade at a time. Then Thomas, who was new, but had grown on Damian rather quickly. Who genuinely enjoyed spending time with him, and invited Robin on daytime patrols a few times a month. 

Like this time. 

Oh, what would Father say to Thomas? Damian hoped he wouldn’t be blamed for the death of yet another Robin. It was Damian’s own fault this had happened.

“No last words, grandson?” Ra’s asked, looking down at Damian a sneer on his face.

Damian closed his eyes.

Ra’s sighed. “I expected more. A gloating response, perhaps some begging. Why no moans for your family. Surely since they’ve abandoned you, that would garner _some_ response?”

“How’s this?”

Suddenly, the glass of the sky-light shattered, and in dropped The Signal. Duke Thomas stood quickly from his kneeling positions, and brought out his escrima sticks.

“Hey, kid,” Duke said, “Need some help?”

Domain let out a choked laugh and nodded, falling back to avoid his grandfather’s blade.

Ra’s growled in outrage, as the assassins he sent forward were taken down by Duke. He dodged attacks before they came, let out his own on unsuspecting league members. 

Damian shuffled backwards, trying to wiggle out of his restraints, watching as Ra’s himself came forward to attack. Damian grimaced at how quickly the tides turned. Only Duke’s meta ability kept him alive; he was barely able to dodge the attacks.

“Blind him!” Damian called out, realising another upper hand that Duke might possess.

His brother grimaced before calling the shadows forth and setting them on Ra’s Al Ghul. The Demon’s Head had trained for blind fighting, but the sudden loss of light shocked him enough for Duke to sweep his legs and shove the old man out of the room and onto the balcony of the expensive penthouse the league owned. Ra’s tumbled a little farther than anticipated, rolling over and off the balcony, his fall stopped only by a skilled hand grabbing the ledge.

Duke ignored Ra’s’ possible doom, and raced for Damian. “Let’s go, Robin,” he said, extending a hand.

Damian took it gratefully. “Thank you Signal, though I may have trouble walking.”

Duke scanned him for injuries. “Broken leg?” Damian nodded, and Duke sighed. “Well, let’s get you back to the cave.” They made their way quickly across the room, and onto another balcony. “Hold on,” Duke said, shooting his grappling gun, and jumping off.

*****

They had gotten the Signal-cycle (Damian detested the name, but didn’t have room to complain, at the moment) and made their way back to the cave, Duke insisting on ending patrol early. Bruce had been waiting for them, his arms crossed.

“Damian,” he said with a frown, “I thought I told you no patrol.”

Duke got off, and grabbed Damian, supporting his weight and bringing him to the cave.

Bruce’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“Ra’s.” Duke supplied, and Bruce followed the pair to the med bay.

“Are you alright?” Bruce asked, taking Damian from Duke and putting him down on the med bay’s bed.

Damian scowled. “It was Grandfather. Nothing special.”

Duke snorted. “He was going to kill you, Damian. I’m pretty sure that counts as ‘special’ ”

Bruce narrowed his eyes briefly before sighing. “I’ll go get Alfred,” he said, “but Damian?” Damian looked over at his father. “Try not to get yourself killed while I’m gone?”

He left quickly, and Duke turned back to Damian. “He’s going to bench you.”

“I know.”

“That was a pretty reckless move.”

“I know.”

“I told you not to leave.”

“I know.”

Duke sighed. “When you're all checked out, let’s go watch a movie. And go to bed early. Care to try out a regular sleeping schedule?”

Damian frowned. “What kind of movie?”

Duke smiled. “Finding Nemo?”

Damian considered. “That is acceptable.” Duke grinned at him, and Damian lay down. He considered speaking for a moment, finally deciding it would be cowardly not to. “Thank … Duke. For saving me.”

Duke smiled at the sound of his first name, and Damian had to admit that felt good. “Sure, Dami. Anytime.”


End file.
